Have anything on your mind about sleep, mattresses or bedding? I am here to answer everything you’ve wanted to know. Sharing my experiences and knowledge on all things sleep-related is a real passion! Leave your questions in the comments section below or send an email to AskBrandonJackson@gmail.com to learn more about how to achieve high-quality shut-eye!
Check out these great questions this week:
Q: Hi! I have a question about hypnic jerks. I started experiencing them recently and they really mess with my sleep. My question is, why I am experiencing them and what can I do to make it stop?
A: Admittedly, I am not an expert on hypnic jerks. It has been theorized that the brain is misunderstanding muscle relaxation and the onset of sleep as a signal, resulting in the feeling by the sleeper that they are falling. There are a wide range of potential causes that I was able to find that may affect your sleep including caffeine, stress, and strenuous activities in the evening. In this regard, I suggest cutting off caffeine at 2PM in the afternoon or earlier, dial back on stress, and avoid strenuous activities in the evening time. Please note that I do not have extensive knowledge in this field regarding sleep and there may be more expert advice you can find upon this subject.
Q: What are some of the most interesting sleep-related cultural differences you’ve encountered while traveling?
A: Great question! Thanks for asking! In Sweden, I asked for a king bed when booking a hotel. When I arrived I found out that a, “king bed,” in Sweden actually means an individual sleeping bed about the size of a twin size bed, which is placed in a more private room for the king’s protection. So, when I got a, “King Bed Room,” it was in a larger suite, but with a very small sleeping room with a smaller than twin size bed. I literally was falling off the bed and cracking up the whole night! Thanks for letting me share that!
Q: I have a question about my own sleep schedule. I get about 6 hours of sleep a night during the week. I’m a student and I work part time, so hours are limited. I get to bed about midnight and get up at 6. On the weekends, I get ten hours of sleep or so. Am I setting myself up for burnout?
A: The ideal number of hours of sleep for someone of your age group would be 7.5-8.5 hours. While you may not necessarily, “burn out,” with 6 hours of sleep, it would be my feedback that you are potentially not reaching your most optimal mental and physical condition on the days you are only able to sleep 6 hours or less. Getting 10 hours of a sleep a night on the weekends is great! Keep in mind that sleep is the one thing you cannot make up, so I would encourage you if possible to try to make schedule changes that would make 7.5-8.5 hours of sleep possible every day. With that being said, I’ve worked part time jobs while being a college student and understand that may not be possible for you at this time. I hope you found my feedback helpful, thanks for asking!
Sleep is best when your room is dark, cool, and maybe add a fan in there for white noise. It should be without interruptions and you should feel completely refreshed when you wake up in the morning. Make the adjustments you need to ensure that you are getting all of the benefits that sleep provides!
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